Clash of the Titans
CLASH OF THE TITANS
The 1967 Senior TT: A race to remember
EVER SINCE CYCLE WORLD INtroduced American motorcyclists to the Isle of Man a quarter-century ago, the TT Mountain Course has been the scene of countless memorable races. You could hardly expect less from the Island, a place seemingly designed to make legends and create heroes.
But for many followers of Island lore, the most memorable race of the past 25 years was the Senior TT in 1967, which pitted long-time arch-rivals Giacomo Agostini on his quick and precise 500cc MV Agusta “fire engine” against Mike “The Bike” Hailwood on the famously fast but infamously ill-handling Honda 500 Four. The legendary pair had engaged in wheel-to-wheel combat many times before; but for Hailwood, who had a record l l previous TT wins, this time held particular significance. This was likely to be his last TT before retiring from twowheel competition at the end of the season to try his talented hand at automobile racing.
Agostini wasted no time in establishing the competitive tone of the Senior TT, setting an all-time lap record of 108.30 mph on the first lap—and doing it from a standing start! That put Hailwood down by 12 seconds in just one lap. Undaunted, Mike The Bike turned up the wick on his powerful Honda and rebroke the record on the second lap, turning 108.77 mph and moving to within eight seconds of Agostini.
Hailwood had reduced the deficit to a mere two seconds by the end of Lap Three when the pair pitted for refueling. Agostini got back on the course quickly and cleanly, but not Hailwood; the throttle-side handgrip had worked loose during the first three laps of the six-lapper, and the crew struggled in vain to get it firmly re-attached. Finally a mechanic tied a handkerchief around the grip in a last-ditch effort to hold it in place, and Hailwood rocketed off down Bray Hill, having lost l l seconds to Agostini during the pit stop.
During the remainder of the race, the spectators saw some of the most daring riding ever witnessed on the Isle of Man as Hailwood gave his all in pursuit of the MV. Agostini himself was riding at his very best, but Hailwood—racing above and beyond the ragged edge even for him, a man known for his unbounded fearlesness—was slowly closing the gap. He would pick up several seconds here and there, and then would lose much of what he had gained when the handgrip would pop off as he wrestled the feisty Honda through most of the Island’s many treacherous corners.
By the time they began their last lap of the Mountain Course, Agostini still had a sizable lead. It looked as though that 12th TT win would elude Hailwood’s grasp. But at Windy Corner, just a few miles from the finish. Agostini was seen coasting to a stop, tears in his eyes and the remnants of his drive chain dragging along behind the bike. Under the severe torture of the most blistering five-and-threequarters laps the Island had ever seen, the chain had fried its lubricant and broken apart.
Hailwood breezed past the freewheeling Ago and cruised to his 12th TT victory. And although he had “backed” into first place through Agostini’s misfortune, no one—even Ago himself—discredited his win. He had earned it by virtue of the battle he had waged with an evil-handling motorcycle and a throttle grip that refused to stay put.
In 1978, 1 1 years later, Hailwood would come out of retirement and return to the Island one more time. And before leaving, he would add two more TT victories to his record total. But even that remarkable achievement would not be able to overshadow the stunning performances of two great champions in the 1967 Senior TT.
